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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Tuesday, February 10, 2015

A Few Signs of Spring in My Garden

The first of the new crocus planted last fall to show color. The ones that have been in my garden for years are far ahead of these for some reason.

Not really a sign of spring but because of the mild winter, the frog bit in my dinosaur egg didn't die but stayed green. Hooray!

My first dandelion of the season along with violets that need to be pulled.

Melianthus major 'Antonow's Blue' happily emerging from the ground.

Stachyurus praecox budding up and getting ready for its big show.

Garrya elliptica in full bloom. (O.K. so, it's a winter bloomer but we can see anything as a sign of spring, right? Lots more blooms to come on Garden Blogger's Bloom Day on February 15th.

Looking forward to a great season of gardening!

Are you seeing signs of plant life responding to the increase in light in your garden or is it still covered with snow? Perhaps you garden year round in a warmer climate. Wherever you garden, I hope you are loving every minute you spend in your paradise!

I love patches of crocus that have been in place for years and years -- quite impressive when they multiply! (Same for daffodils)

I believe what you're calling "frog bit" is actually duckweed or similar. Frogbit looks like small lily pads, around quarter sized. In my pond duckweed is devoured by the fish. Also, if you accidentally Google "frogbot" instead of "frogbit" those results are pretty cool too. :)

I agree, a lot of the spring bulbs that multiply with age are pretty cool! I inherited a great swath of galanthus which (with some help) has spread all over the garden and I look forward to seeing them every year!

You are correct, It's duckweed. Don't know what I was thinking. Now I'm off to google "frogbot!"

What a hopeful post! Thank you! While my garden is covered with snow, I know that little rosettes of plants and budding Hellebores are waiting for the first mild weather to begin their show. The longer, sunny days are fabulous, even if they are very cold.

About Me

Why Outlaw Gardener? I like to break the rules of good taste, plant placement, and plant hardiness. Also, I have received periodic "love notes" from the city code enforcement officer telling me that my parking strip plants encroach on the city's right-of-way. When expressing my distress over the latest such notice, I exclaimed to my pal Loree (Danger Garden) "I'm an outlaw gardener!" To which she replied,"That would be a good name for a blog."
My first gardens were in Southeast Alaska (zone 3.)I do miss the beauty and community of small-town Alaska but I don't take for granted for a moment how wonderful it is to garden in zone 8.